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What’s the Point?

I have been blogging for a little over two years now. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a long time. When I look around, there are bloggers who have been doing this longer than I. There are bloggers who write better, and are more popular. It can be tempting to be distracted by ‘the numbers’; to focus on how many people see my posts, and how often I am ‘liked’. Then, the Lord reminds me of what is truly important; the reason I started blogging in the first place: ministry.

Every summer we would host several families and encourage them in their homeschooling adventure, sharing wisdom the Lord had imparted to us. Starting a blog seemed a great way to share resources, tips, and encouragement with even more families. What began as an idea quickly became a joyous adventure.

Through blogging, we’ve come to know many amazing people and enjoy their incredible blogs. Each has been called to minister in their own way:

Sharing the Homeschooling Adventure

Some families blog to share their homeschooling endeavors with family, friends, and other homeschoolers. Their hopes are to keep family connected (especially those who live further away) and connect with other families.
May I encourage you to keep going. It is such a pleasure partaking in your adventures and joining in the fun. We love hearing about what the Lord is doing in your family.

Journaling About The Year

Other families blog as a means of keeping track of their homeschooling year; a sort of online portfolio. A smart way to keep track of your adventures.
This has been fun for us as well; hearing all about your day. It helps us get a better idea of projects, field trips, and ideas we might not have come across before.

Sharing Encouragement

Some parents blog as a means of edifying other homeschooling families. The Lord has gifted them with words of wisdom, encouragement, and grace; enabling them to help those in need.
It has been such a blessing reading these blogs and being uplifted. We thank the Lord for the insights we have gained through such blogs.

Tips & Ideas

These blogs are always fun. Tips, hints, ideas, recipes, and the like. There is nothing they don’t do, and they are willing to share it all with us.
We love gaining insight on art projects and homeschooling resources we’ve never thought of before. Definitely keep posting; we’re reading!

No matter your reason for blogging, may we encourage you to keep going. No two blogs are alike and each one has something to offer. Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the numbers. Do not become discouraged when it seems as if no one is reading. If the Lord called you to this, He is using you in ways you might never imagine.

May the Lord remind us of our calling. While our family might be the backdrop of our blog, may Christ be our focus. Through our adventures, struggles, routines, and curriculum exchanges, may He be edified and given all the glory.

Because, the moment this blog becomes about me, that is the moment I am finished.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

🔔Time to Chime In: What has God been teaching you through your blogging experience?

I typed up this really nice and kind of lengthy response but because I forgot my password, it was deleted. NOOOOOO!!!!

Well, in a nutshell, thank you so much for this post! Really, THANK YOU!!!!! It’s been awhile since I posted on my blog for so many reasons. All of them were distractions – fears, insecurities, doubt, feeling like a failure, etc. I started to blog to write down what I’m learning on my homeschool journey and to find encouragement to help others on theirs (homeschooling, parenting, life). I haven’t even logged in (which is why the first post was deleted – lol) but the blog has been lurking around in my mind almost daily! So thank you for the encouragement to log back on and start writing again. Blessings!

I completely understand the frustration of deleted prose. I keep getting that on my mobile device and it is testing my patience!

I’m blessed to know this post encouraged you. Our goal was achieved; may God be given the glory.

At times, I believe most of us experience doubts about our writing and what God is doing with us. I find it encouraging to remember that I can’t see the bigger picture, only He can. If He can take the little, insignificant, unimportant me and use it for His glory, even if it means He reaches only one person, then it was worth the effort.

So, make yourself a good cup of tea and set yourself down to experience what He is going to do. You might just be surprised!

I actually started blogging with a devotional blog. I was serving a women’s organization in that capacity and doing a lot of reading along those lines so writing up a response to Scripture or sharing a beautifully written prayer from antiquity was another way to reach out. I only expected that group to be interested in reading my posts. Why would anyone else read it? Similarly, when we started homeschooling, I wanted a journal of our experiences, but I didn’t want to “scrapbook” with paper, (I knew I would never see the surface of my dining room table again.) so a blog seemed suitable with the added benefit of being able to share with our far flung relatives in a more meaningful way than facebook.

In both cases I found that my actual readers are not precisely who I thought they would be. Some of the women followed, some of them didn’t. Some of my family follows, some don’t. Some of my homeschooling friends follow and I never expected that! Serendipity. 🙂 I have actually been praying about our blog and whether I should shift my rather casual approach to something more consistent and organized. We’ll see. I’ve tried a few blog carnivals and I find that I mimic the authoritative tone that many homeschool and devotional bloggers develop. I don’t actually believe that I have all the answers, so I really don’t want to write from that perspective. And, I’m reluctant to get tied down. I tried one of those WordPress daily blogging challenges and quit after the second day. 🙂

Your daily blog, on the other hand, is a wonderful place to visit and share! I’m grateful for your commitment and bloggy kindness! Thank you!

Great post! I love reading them and I’m truly in awe that you are able to post every day. When I started my blog last summer, I had planned to write a weekly post. I have always enjoyed writing and teaching, so creating this blog was a chance to combine two of my passions. However, other opportunities came my way during the year: I took on more leadership roles at church, and went back to work part time as an educational consultant. I considered giving up my blog because of my increased responsibilities and deadlines. However, writing the blog has become a blessing; my way of “relaxing”. And I have found so many wonderful blogs, including yours, through my blogging experience. I love how motivated and inspired I get when reading your blog (and I attended a special needs homeschooling workshop in November which I heard about on one of your posts). So I am keeping my blog, although lately I’ve only posted once a month. Your blog has really ministered to me, and I’m so glad I was led to it.

One thing I feel I must point out, to whomever is reading and interested: It would help readers tremendously, if you tagged your posts with #homeschool or #homeschooling. I just realized how many of these awesome posts I am missing because of this!!!

Daily, I read the ‘Homeschool’ posts in my Reader file from WP. However, a lot of your posts are not showing up because they are not tagged with this marker.

Please, for your readers’ sakes, start tagging your posts so we don’t miss out on these awesome reads!:)

This is a great piece. Thank you for writing it! I have realized over the 5+ years of keeping my blog that I blog when I am living with a grateful heart. I WANT to share lots of pictures and stories because my heart feels happy and full. BUT interestingly, when I’m blogging regularly, the act of blogging actually gives me that attitude of gratitude. It’s a funny relationship! I will definitely keep blogging, and I hope you will stop by. warmaspie.wordpress.com

I love the encouragement and support that I have found here in the blogging world. Homeschooling can (sort of) be isloating. We don’t have many friends that homeschool. I have found a whole group of homeschoolers here in the blog world that helps provide that encouragement. Even though, many of the philosophies may be different we all do this for our children, for love, for the right reasons. In fact, YOUR blog was one of the first that I found and read for that community and support!!

I am not really sure what my calling is, as far as my blog goes. We are still at the very beginning of our journey and not sure yet which way Heavenly Father is going to steer us. I know I want a record of my daughter’s assignments and what worked and did not work. I have also loved connecting with other homeschool parents, like yourself, and gleaning from their experience and knowledge. I hope eventually someone will be able to glean from mine.

When I first started reading Homeschool blogs a couple years ago, yours was one of the first ones I came across that I enjoyed reading. It was heartfelt.

I used to worry about how many people liked my blog and how many followers I had, but then I realized that wasn’t important. The only thing that mattered was that I was sharing my passion, and our experiences, with others.

I love reading all the other homeschool blogs out there to learn about what others are doing, and what works for them. It helps me to remember that we all do things differently, and it’s okay.

Writing my own blog is a release for me. I love writing, and went to school for journalism. Having my own blog allows me to share some of the wonderful experiences my daughter and I have while homeschooling. Writing gives me a sense of peace after a long day.

Anything online still intimidates me a bit, but I’m getting there! My blog started because I needed a way to get the people I teach/work with easy access to class notes and handouts, but has morphed into something totally different. I find myself rambling about a myriad of things that I want my grandchildren to understand. I am still here for now, but someday….. So-I don’t worry about followers or likes. I write for those I may or may not meet. If it helps someone else in the process, that’s even better!